To-do bucket list for Sacramento area high school seniors

I don't know about the rest of you, but I had a blast when I was in high school. I know it's not always the "time-of-your-life" vibe for a lot of other folks out there, but somehow I managed to have a pretty decent go at it. I think a lot of that had to do with with some fun experiences I had in my senior year of high school. Which got me thinking about a bucket list for local high school seniors and that I've put together below.

• First and foremost, do a Senior Portrait Session! You're only young once and I've compiled some of my favorite reasons to do one on the blog of here!
  

• Watch a movie at the West Wind Sacramento 6 Drive-in! Back when I was in high school, one of our good friends drove a Volvo station wagon and we DEFINITELY snuck an extra friend or two in the trunk area under a blanket to save money. hehe Be sure to pack snacks, blankets, and pillows to get comfy for your double-feature!
  

• Grab late-night burgers, fries, and a shake at Willie's Burgers. I am personally attached to the one located at 16th & Broadway, since that's where I spent quite a few late Friday nights myself hanging out with friends in the parking lot white getting down on some chili cheese fries!
  

• Call your besties and grab some blankets to watch the sunset at Boulder Ridge Park in Rocklin, CA. But be sure carpool with your friends AND get there early. The parking lot is tiny and you'll want to snag one while they're open.
  

• When the days start to get warmer, head over to Gunther's for some ice cream or one of their famous fruit freezes to cool off in the evening. I remember the first time my parents took me as a kid. Ever since, I've really enjoyed introducing new friends to this place! It's always a tough choice between a strawberry-lemon freeze or a scoop of strawberry ice cream on a sugar cone.
  

• Catch a River Cat Ball game. I'm an Oakland A's fan myself, so I was a little sad when they became the AAA team for the San Francisco Giants. But I'll always love me some lawn seats on an early summer evening with some ballpark food!
  

• Go to a concert at the Golden 1 Center. I sure wish a concert this place had been one of my first live music experiences, but I think having seen them them at Arco Arena back in the day really gave me a newfound appreciation for how state-of-the-art the Golden One Center is. Tom Petty was around long before I was born, but he was the first artist I saw perform there and it'll go down as one of my all-time favorite concerts.
  

• After the concert at Golden 1, head across the courtyard to grab dinner continue the evening with fun and games at Punch Bowl Social! They have everything from karaoke rooms and video gaming pods to table top board games and bowling.
  

• Plan an evening of ice skating at Iceland Ice Skating Rink. They'll be renovating it soon, but it's been a fixture in Sacramento since 1940 and operated continuously since then to March of 2010 when a 5-alarm arson fire burned the structure to the ground. The fire destroyed most of the building, but the rink itself survived and it's been an open air rink ever since!

Did I miss any of the must-see, must-do experiences for someone possibly getting ready to leave Sacramento for college? I'd love to hear your ideas. Drop them in the comments below.

Why you need a senior portrait session

If you've been considering a senior portrait session for yourself (or for your graduating high school senior), Here are my top six reasons.

• You’re only this young once!! That sounds cliche, I know. Especially coming from an older person like me. And if you're anything like me, I had an ABSOLUTE blast in high school. So you'll want to remember this time with all of life's possibilities at your fingertips!
  

• New, high quality photos for you to use to make a great first impression now that you’re going out into the world! For Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.

• Express your individual style! Traditional school portraits are stiff and in front of that same old backdrop. A senior portrait session will allow you to play, have fun, and be you!!

• Customize your graduation announcements for friends and family!

• It’s genuinely fun! I can't stress this enough. Your photographer should take the time to get to know you (or your senior) to plan a session that compliments your (their) interests.

• Photos to gift to your parents and grandparents (grandmas LOVE them!!)

Hopefully you've found this helpful if you're on the fence about doing a senior portrait session. I'd love to hear your own reasons for getting senior portraits taken. Drop them in the comments below!

How to prepare for your lifestyle newborn session

Preparing for your lifestyle newborn session might seem a little overwhelming, but here are some tips to follow on the day of to help ensure we get the shots you're looking for:

• In the cooler months, turn the heater on/up, or in the cooler months, turn off the air conditioner. Newborns can't self regulate their body temperatures, so by raising the temperature in the home, it'll help ensure baby is comfortable for those cute bare skin shots. It'll also help get baby into a little milk coma after a feeding for those cute sleepy shots, which I talk more about in the next item!
  

• Hold off on feeding baby for at least two hours prior to the session start time and then feed just before you start. This, in conjunction with the temperature noted above, will help create that nice warm environment to be in milk drunk state. When baby is very content, that's when you can snap the sleepy baby shots or the close up macro detail shots of their eyelashes, nose pores, tiny fingers and toes, ear fuzzies, luscious little lips, etc...
  

• Have your baby in loose-fitting clothes before the session if possible, to avoid skin marks and lines. Photoshopping that kind of stuff out can take a long time and may be an added cost. By ensuring baby is loosely wrapped, you'll minimize the amount of post-processing work done by your photographer. And hey, you may even get your images sooner than anticipated! *wink*
  

• Schedule the session for a time when natural light is good in the rooms you want to use. East facing rooms will have great light in the mornings with West facing rooms having the best light in the late afternoon. South facing rooms will get great light all day long. Some North facing rooms may be too dark, since North facing windows never receive direct light. However, it's possible there may be lots of natural light bouncing back into a North facing room off of a structure nearby, such as a detached garage or a neighbor's house.
  

• The ideal window of time for a newborn session is when baby is 5-10 days, while baby is still super sleepy most of the time.. However, I recently did a newborn session for twins who were 5 weeks old (they came 5 weeks early via emergency c-section) and they were still very sleepy for the duration of the session. So each baby truly is different and unique. Another reason to shoot sooner rather than later is baby's skin. Most babies shed and develop baby acne. Some babies will develop more acne, especially if mom is on an antibiotic immediately following the birth and is breastfeeding. The increased acne is a result of the antibiotics. So if for some reason you have to take an antibiotic, try to get that session done sooner rather than later and before baby develops more widespread acne.
  

• In the weeks leading up to your session, try to declutter the surfaces in the room(s) you'll be using for the session. Having decluttered surfaces will guarantee that baby remains the center of attention in the photos rather a distracting/cluttered background.
  

• Plan your outfits and baby swaddles in advance of your due date so that you don't have to rush on the day of to figure that stuff out. If your photographer has a wardrobe styling service, such as Style & Select, be sure to take advantage. Tools like that will do the heavy lifting for you and make it a breeze to come up with a cohesive look for your session.
  

• If the grandparents are in town to visit and meet your new addition, do let your photographer know! They can make it a point to snap some special generational images to document this special time.
  

• My one last tip is to sit back and watch the session. It's likely your photographer knows what they're doing, so let them run the show. Especially if you've hired a professional with experience and glowing reviews. As a new mama, it may be hard to fight the urge to pick them up with every little noise they make or equally hard to watch someone else handle your infant. Your photographer knows how much your babe means to you and they'll be extra careful. So try not to stress. Even when baby gets fussy. They are sensitive to your stress and tension, and as long as you remain calm for the session, so should the baby.

I hope you find these tips helpful! Did I miss anything that you think would be helpful in preparing for a lifestyle newborn session? If so, I'd love to hear. Drop a note in the comments section below.